Landscape Architect Articles

Bringing the Outdoors Indoors07-20-23 | Department

Bringing the Outdoors Indoors

An Exceptional Experience to People of All Ages and Abilities
by Sarah Lisiecki - BCI Burke Playgrounds

The Plymouth Community Center in Plymouth, Minnesota, sought to add a recreational component to their indoor facility that established a connection between the numerous outdoor offerings of the city and connected geographically to the indoor facility. This was accomplished with an indoor, BCI Burke playground that is surrounded by windows, both along the walls and on the ceiling, allowing a surplus of natural light to enter the play area.

The lighting is also utilized by the Solis?,?(R) Hue Toppers which are designed to create a visual of light filtering through leaves and casting patterns on the floor. Adding the hue adds a fun and interesting element to any playspace and, as part of the goal to bring the outdoors inside, uses natural light from the outdoors to create visual interest indoors.

The Poured-in-Place safety surfacing establishes another outdoor connection through the coloring which features a green base, like grass, with a blue river flowing through it.

This older children play area features the Nucleus Evolution?,?(R) Towers which connects to the twisting Cobra?,?(R) Slides. Another indoor-outdoor connection is made here with the Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete (GFRC) climbing structure that is designed to look like realistic rock in the shape of a timber wolf (inset), which is an iconic animal and figure in Minnesota.

In this two through five-year-old play area, the playground manufacturer's goal was to integrate play elements that would provide the children with opportunities to develop their balance and coordination, so they utilized their PlayHouse which features a ramped structure and tunnel, along with areas for climbing and traversing.

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The City of Plymouth, Minnesota, offers so many options for outdoor recreation with opportunities for everyone to get outside and play. From 67 parks to 175 miles of trails to numerous beaches and sports fields, the prospects for outdoor fun are endless. As much as outdoor play is beneficial, it is also important to have access to an outside experience indoors. Inspired by this idea - bringing the outdoors indoors - the playspace at the Plymouth Community Center is the ultimate play experience for children of all ages and abilities. The playground design process began with hand drawn conceptual sketches that focused on light, surfacing, clear pathways throughout the space and the ability for different ages to have a space designed for them and, as importantly, sight lines and caregiver supervision areas that are both intelligently placed and comfortable.

The Ultimate Experience Defined
Following the conceptual phase, the project began to take shape and was even given a fitting name - the Kids Ultimate Backyard Experience (K.U.B.E.). What does an "Ultimate Experience" contain? Adventure is a definite must and the BCI Burke Nucleus?,?(R) Evolution?,?(R) Tower, twisting and turning Cobra???EUR??? Slides and a variety of climbers, ropes and overheads bring exploration opportunities for age-appropriate risk and a chance for children to discover the best of themselves through play. A realistic climbing wall brings the experience of rock climbing - an adventurous, healthy and engaging activity with endless developmental benefits - indoors and provides another activity to help kids move and develop a love of exercise for life. For children ages 2-5, adventure is also essential and a PlayHouse full of role-play possibilities, a ramped structure, tunnel, climbing and traversing offerings and ways to practice balance and coordination are all part of the adventure experience for this age group.

The Outdoors Indoors
Being outdoors has incredible benefits such as natural light, the ability to move freely throughout the space and increased opportunities for imagination and physical movement. In order to have the full outdoor experience indoors, the playground designers needed to create that experience inside the community center. Skylights let in natural light and large windows create an outdoor atmosphere. The safety surfacing is predominantly green with a blue river running through the space creating interesting pathways. Solis???EUR??? Hue post toppers use natural light to create colored patterns on the floor and provide a forest-like canopy that draws the eyes upwards in the space. Upon further inspection, the climbing wall isn't only a climbing wall, but also a custom-designed timber wolf - a well-known outdoor icon of Minnesota. The outside is coming alive in this space, giving children the feeling of awe and wonder when they climb, adventure,
spin and play.

Play for All
What is a play experience if it isn't for everyone? The Plymouth Community Center is focused on inclusivity and their new playspace reflects that. Ramps and pathways throughout the space allow children, caregivers and community members to create their own pathways for play and bring everyone together in the same area. Ramps offer access to some of the most exciting areas of the space while rope climbers take kids' climbing abilities to new heights, providing a different view of the world. Play variety is key to an inclusively designed play environment, and here, children can play games, climb, imagine, pretend, spin, traverse, develop upper and lower body strength and develop their bodies and minds in new ways. The PlayHouse serves multiple purposes - it is not only for pretend and role play but is the perfect place for a child to plan their play experience or take a break from the action if they are feeling overwhelmed or overstimulated.

The Result
Through careful planning, intentional design and a desire to provide an exceptional experience to people of all ages and abilities, the Plymouth Community Center is a destination for everyone and helps people experience the outdoors even when they are inside.